Skip Exercise When I Have a Cold, Right?

If you’re up to your armpits in tissues then exercise is usually the last thing in your mind, and this is a fair call when you’re trying to fight something off then putting your body under extra stress can do more harm than good, but sometimes light to moderate exercise is just what the doctor ordered. Learn when you should skip your workouts and when you shod suck it up and train.

To exercise?

Being sick doesn’t always mean you have to put a halt to your workout routine. The best way to judge if you should skimp on a workout is by doing the “neck test”, this is simply judging your own symptoms, basically if your symptoms are above your neck such as the sniffles, sneezy or sinus pressure then your good to go. If your symptoms are more severe or below your neck then you get a free pass, but only until you feel better.

Ways to train when you’re sick

Try some of the following exercises when you’re feeling under the weather, but remember to listen to your body and go slow or you could end up with a longer or more severe cold.

Walk

When we are sick our energy levels usually deplete but a light walk will help restore your energy and it can even help relive cold symptoms. When we walk out in the fresh air we force more air into our noses which can help to relive a blocked and stuffy nose.

Jogging

If you normally jog or run then this is easy and safe to keep up with. Just like walking jogging can help decongest our noses and have us feeling better faster. Just scale back the intensity of your jog to allow your body more time to recover.

Yoga

Yoga is another great form of exercise when we are sick. When we are sick our body releases stress hormones into the body and yoga will defiantly help you to rid relax and rid your body of excess cortisol. Yoga should also help to boost your immunity because of its relaxing nature.

Don’t

Although some forms of exercise are safe enough when you’re sick there are also some exercises that should be avoided. The following examples are a no go zone when you’re sick, especially if you want to get better anytime soon.

Running and endurance training

Even if you’re a serious marathon runner, going for a run while you’re sick should be avoided. It doesn’t give our bodies enough time to recover and you can end up feeling worse.

Gym

Nobody wants to be in an enclosed space with someone who is constantly sniffing away. Using weights and weight machines will also put too much stress on your body while it’s trying to fight against infection, you also won’t be able to lift as efficiently while you’re feeling like crap so you are more prone to injury. So stay clear of the gym until your 100% better.

Conclusion

So unless you have a fever, vomiting and muscle aches (or something worse) it’s perfectly fine to keep up with training, just take it easy, listen to your body, make sure you drink enough water and get plenty of rest.